I reblogged a prompt list on Tumblr with a bunch of different AU situations. Ouatandtlosfanboy sent in a request for a Regal Believer sleeping beauty AU. They requested for it to also be a result of Regina's pain during the missing year.

Regina stared at the spinning wheel in front of her, her mind racing. There was an ache in her heart, one that no one could understand. Yes, Snow had lost Emma, but she wasn't alone. She had her husband and was about to give birth to her second child. Regina had no one. Henry was all she had, the thing she loved the most. She knew he was safe, she had made sure to give him and Emma a comfortable life. It didn't bring her any peace, though. She wasn't getting to see him grow up.

She'd never see him go off to college or find his first love. She'd never be able to support him, pick him back up and cheer him on. That was all Emma's job now. No amount of friends could help heal her soul. She was tired of feeling so terrible on the inside. The pain of losing a child was more than she could bear. In Neverland, she feared that she would never hold him again. She got him back, only to lose him once again.

Snow said she had a feeling that they would see Emma and Henry again one day, that this wasn't the end of their story. If that was true, then one day, Henry would wake her up. That would be the only reason she would want to be awake. Life was not worth living without her sweet prince. In all the fairytales that she read to him and from her experiences, it was always a princess or prince that saved the day. She and Henry shared a special true love, one only a mother and her child could. She still felt that for him and maybe deep down inside, he knew that, wherever he was out there.

"I'm sorry Henry," she whispered. "I tried to be brave, but I'm tired. I'm tired of feeling this pain. I know you don't even remember me, but maybe I can see you again in my dreams."

She took a deep breath and pricked her finger on the cursed needle. She collapsed to the ground shortly after, falling into a deep sleep. It was a few hours later that Snow and David discovered her body and a note she had written, describing her reasoning. They exchanged a look full of sorrow. They understood her pain, all this time at least they had each other. Regina, however, felt forever alone.

"Come on, we'll make her comfortable," David whispered to his wife.

Snow just stared down at her with a frown. "We have to find a way to get back to Emma and Henry. Not just to protect this baby, we need our family back together."

The curse was enacted with the help of Blue. She agreed to split Snow's heart so David would come through to the other side. What they hadn't been counting on, was the fact that they would all forget the past. When Emma and Henry showed back up in Storybrooke, no one knew where Regina was. Henry retrieved his memories and a true love's kiss between he and Emma brought back the memories to the town. Snow and David remembered what Regina had done to herself. The hunt was on to find her body.

They went to her vault where they found her laying back on a cot, her arms folded over her chest, eye shut. Her hair was cut how it was whenever she was in Storybrooke and she was wearing one of her trademark pantsuits. Henry walked over to her, staring down at her lifeless body. For a year, he had forgotten she existed. Now, all of the memories they shared together overshadowed the fake ones. Times of happiness and joy. He could remember the bond they were trying to rebuild when he got back from Neverland. She was never a villain in his eyes, just his mom.

Henry bent down and kissed her forehead. A rainbow forcefield came over her body and she gasped for breath as her eyes flickered open. She saw Henry standing above her and a small smile went across her face.

"Henry." She reached up, touching his cheek. "You're real."

Henry nodded. "I am."

Regina shot up on the cot, throwing her arms around him tightly. He tightened the hug, burying his head into her shoulder. The curse was broken, he was back in her arms, the ache in her heart had faded. Her sweet prince had returned to her.

As always, I do accept prompts! Whether it be on here or my Tumblrs: just-an-outlaw and justanoutlawfanfiction.